The Hart of it all
by Myannah
Summary: Barry meets a new girl. She doesn't shake hands or touch anyone. Except Barry. She acts weird but everyone loves her. What is her secret?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The annual CCPD fundraiser was coming up and Barry was not looking forward to it. Forced to go in a full black tie suite, and talk to a bunch of rich people who wonder what to do about their money, was not his cup of tea. The invitation highlighted that this was a bowtie and gloves occasion.

Iris was excited because for the first time, she gets to be someone other than her father's date.

The days leading up to the party, Barry complained so much that Joe offered to invite Barry's friends from Star labs just so he could have some company.

Yes, the thought of inviting Felicity crossed Barry's mind but she had already told him about another fundraiser that she was to attend in Starling City that same night. So Barry took Iris's dad up on his offer and invited Cisco and Caitlyn.

At the party, Barry strolled around with his two friends, wishing the night to be over. It seemed to go on for hours and hours and each time Barry checked his watch only five minutes had passed. It did not take long for him to remove his gloves and shove them in his pocket.

Barry's attention pulled away from Caitlyn and Cisco's discussion when a young woman in a light blue dress descended the stairs. She looked absolutely beautiful but what struck him the most was that she looked the way he felt: uncomfortable. The woman looked up and saw Barry staring. She quickly looked away and continued on her way. Cisco and Caitlyn saw what Barry was staring at and encouraged him to go chat to the girl. After a few empty threats and strange encouragement, Barry walked up to the bar where the lady in blue sat.

"Hi. Is there any possibility in this universe or the next that I could buy you a drink?" Barry asked once her attention was on him.

"No." she said blatantly. "It's open bar."

Barry felt a blush creep up his neck. "Of course. Now I feel stupid. I used the most basic pick up line, and I screwed it up. I'm going to put my head in an oven. Please excuse me." Barry turned to leave but twirled around again. "You know, you could slap me, or throw your drink in my face, which I'm happy to refund…" he rambled on.

"Open bar." She reminded him sternly, but a smile started curling on her lips.

"That would be a waste of a perfectly good drink." She said.

"You can yell at me too, or storm off. Just so that my friends can get off my back." Barry knew that Cisco would insist that he should try again only to be shot down again.

"You're perfectly old enough to get them off your back yourself." She raised her eyebrows and walked away. As she turned, a waiter was about to crash into her, so Barry moved really quickly and pulled her out of the waiter's way. He touched her open back just to steady her and returned to his original position as if nothing had happened. She snapped her head up at him and stared for a long time, confused about what had just happened. She frowned and continued.

Barry returned to his seat and told them the basics of what had happened. After a few more minutes that felt like hours, the master of ceremonies asked everyone to take his or her seats. He went through a list of thank you's, he announced the arrival of the VIP guest.

"Please welcome, Doctor Alice-Sarah Hart."

Caitlyn grabbed Barry's arm as she excitedly told him what she knew about Doctor Hart. "She's the richest woman in the tri-state area and the youngest Neurologist this side of the world. I've never seen her but I've read her articles. She's a genius."

To Barry's surprise, the pretty girl in the light blue dress stepped up to the podium. She looked more uncomfortable than before but poised as she placed her note cards on the podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Good evening. I am here tonight, in honor of and representing the Angel Investors Group. AIG has funded the CCPD for years, as it is a family tradition. This we do gladly. This year," she paused. She locked eyes with Barry and frowned again, looking down at her notes, "there has been talk of a red streak saving lives in Central City. He is known as the Flash. The AIG would like to extend our thanks to this hero, and there is a fund put together to pay him for his efforts. However," she laughed, "no one seems to know who he is or how to find him – or her. So this payment will be added to the fund that goes to the CCPD." Everyone laughed. Caitlyn and Cisco stared at Barry, not knowing what to say.

After Alice-Sarah's speech, dinner was served. The time started going by faster and Barry was pleased to find desert on his plate.

Time stood still when Eddie went down on his knee and asked Iris to marry him. Barry felt faint and insisted that they leave. They were out of the great hall before Iris could start looking for him. His two friends accompanied him down the street, but said nothing.

"You look like you're about to pass out, Barry," Caitlyn noted, "Lets get some sugar in you."

They walked across the street and into the diner. They sat down and ordered milkshakes.

"Oh my gosh." Cisco whispered as he stared across the diner. Alice-Sarah sat at a bar stool, still in her pretty blue dress, waiting for her order.

"She looks lonely." Caitlyn whispered.

Barry stood without thinking and walked over to her. "Hi. Again." He started.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked.

"No. Sorry. We just saw that you were alone and wanted to know if you'd like to join us?" Barry motioned over his shoulder and both Cisco and Caitlyn stopped staring immediately.

"What's you're name?" she asked, taking off her gloves.

"I'm Barry Allen." He held his hand out for a handshake. She smiled and took his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Barry Allen." She held on to his hand and locked eyes with him. "But please don't take any offence, I want to be alone."

"I'm sorry Dr. Hart. If you change your mind, we'll be right over there."

Barry tried to pull his hand away, but she gripped tighter, tilting her head as she frowned at him. Her face softened and she finally let go. Barry turned to his friends and turned back. "It was nice seeing you again."

"Hey Barry." She stopped him. "You can buy me a drink now, if you still want to."

Barry smiled.

They talked for the rest of the night. Cisco and Caitlyn was so busy debating a new idea that they barely noticed Barry wasn't with them. When they saw him happily chatting to Alice-Sarah, they let them be.

"What do your friends call you?" Barry asked at some point. "Alice-Sarah? Or split? Alice? Sarah? Allie?"

"The important people I grew up with calls me Alice-Sarah. The people I work with call me Doctor. The few friends that I have, they chose. One friend even called me Ace."

"I want to call you Allie."

"No one calls me Allie." She smiled. "I like it."

The cook handed them a plate of fries, which they had ordered. Allie reached for the salt and bumped hands with the guy sitting on her other side. He apologized but grabbed the salt when she stood frozen.

"We have to go." She said urgently to Barry. "Now."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Barry laughed but stopped when he saw the look on her face. She looked up at him and then snapped out of whatever daze she was in.

"No, sorry, I have to go now." She bit her lip. "I have a car waiting to take me to the west side, do you want him to drop you guys off at home?"

Barry looked at his friends who seemed to have changed topic, as they were no longer arguing. Allie checked his watch. "It's getting late. You have work tomorrow, right? My driver will take you guys anywhere you want to go. Come on." She didn't give him a chance to respond. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards his friends.

"Hi guys. This is Allie." He introduced them. "She's offered to take us all home."

Caitlyn checked her watch and practically jumped out of her seat. "Yes, thank you. It is getting late."

So they left the diner and got into a limo. Cisco could not contain his excitement. They told the driver where to go and as he set off, they made their real introductions.

"I'm Dr. Caitlyn Snow." She held her hand out for a handshake but Allie didn't take it.

"I'm sorry, I don't really do handshakes." She thought for a second. "Barry was an exception. I wasn't thinking."

"Germaphobe, huh?" Cisco asked with a smile.

"Yes." She eagerly replied. "The amount of pathogens passed during a handshake is shocking."

They chatted animatedly during the drive. Barry was left for last and as they arrived at his place he sat closer to Allie.

"Can I call you?" he asked her.

"I'd like that." She whispered.

Barry walked away with a whole new feeling growing inside him. He flashed around the block just to run out his excitement.

He called her the next day but she didn't answer the phone. He tried again later and it went through to voicemail. He tried once more after work and she answered on the first ring. They talked again for what felt like hours and he asked her out on a date. It wasn't until they hung up that the reality of the situation dawned on him. She was the richest girl in the city. He had no idea how to take her out on a date. She's probably been to Paris and back for a date. Barry smiled, thinking that he could probably run her to Paris and back in one night, if that was what she wanted.

Cisco and Caitlyn was helpful when he told them about the date.

"Dude, she said yes. She likes you enough to want to go with you. It doesn't really matter what you do." Cisco said.

"It kind of does. She still needs to be treated like a lady. And like any other date. You don't have to take her somewhere fancy. But do something special." Caitlyn added.

"She's probably been on expensive dates. Just be yourself and do something different." Dr. Wells said.

"Are we going to talk about the fact that she wanted to pay the Flash for his assistance in city safety?" Cisco asked eventually.

That night, Barry went to Allie's place to pick her up for their date. She lived in the tallest apartment building in the city. The place had a doorman, a desk clerk and a bellhop.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Alice-Sarah for a date." Barry said to the desk clerk. The bellhop nearly fell over.

"A date with Miss Hart?" he wondered. "She never goes on dates."

The desk clerk called up to the penthouse and sent Barry to the elevator. The bellhop took him up to the penthouse and made awkward small talk. The elevator door opened to a foyer. The bellhop nodded and Barry walked to the only door. He knocked and waited. Eventually the door opened and Barry came face to face with the intimidating looking limo driver.

"Dr. Hart's on the phone." He stated. "You can wait here."

Barry walked into the open plan living room, dining room and kitchen. Tallest building meant that she had the best view, and as Barry walked into the room, he saw the entire west view of the city as the side of the living room was just glass.

Berry felt inadequate as he looked at everything that she had. Then he held onto what Cisco had said: She said yes. She likes you enough to want to go with you.

Barry's phone buzzed but he ignored it in his pocket.

His face lit up when Allie came into view. She was wearing a casual summer dress and had her hair fall down her back. When she walked closer she grinned at his astonished expression.

"What's the matter, Mr. Allen, never been on a date before?" she joked.

"No. Not really." Barry mumbled, trying to get his mind to focus.

She grabbed her jacket and they set off.

Barry took her to a little known Pizza place where they merely picked up an order and kept walking to a community park. The locals knew it as the Kissing garden. Fairy lights decorated the trees and small solar lights poked out between the bushes. There were other people hanging around and Barry walked up to a picnic table that held a "wet paint" sign. He removed the sign and motioned for her to sit down.

"You put that there?" she asked, indicating the wet paint sign.

"It's the only way you can be sure to save the space." Barry grinned.

His phone bussed again.

He had ordered 5 different mini pizzas, not knowing what she would like and placed them all on the table.

"Wow, you can organize." She mused as he placed several drink choices in front of her. She grabbed a bottle of water and stared at the contents as if she was trying to see something in the water.

"No germs in the water?" Barry joked gently.

"Luckily not." She smiled.

"You don't like coffee or soda?" Barry reached for his favorite soda, happy that she didn't grab that one.

"If you knew what those things do to your body, you wouldn't drink it either." She bit her lip as he stopped drinking.

"Artificial sweeteners have Aspartame. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption. That's just in 'diet' food. Regular soda's have so many..." She stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry. You probably want to enjoy your food. Please continue."

"Are you blushing? Because you told me about the health issues with soda?" He laughed and pulled her closer. And threw his arm around her. "That's cute." He kissed her hair.

Barry kept drinking his soda as she continued to lecture him about sugar, acid and caffeine in sodas.

When his phone buzzed again, he was tempted to throw the thing away for good.

"You should get that." She insisted. "It could be a crime, or something."

"Why would someone need me for a crime?" Barry wondered if she somehow knew he was the Flash. He worried if he had blurted it out at some point.

"You're a forensic specialist. Don't you work on crime scenes?"

He relaxed. "Right. Yeah, no. I have office hours. They won't call me for that now."

"You mentioned at the diner that you usually don't have a night off, which is why I was surprised when you asked me out. Are you skipping work for me?"

"No. Not really. I would. But no, I'm not." He lied.

"Check your phone. Please. I don't mind." She pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to him. "I have to make a call too. For that I am sorry. Please answer your phone."

Allie stood up and dialed a number on her own cell, when Barry checked his phone. Cisco had left four messages.

"Captain Cold. Bank. Now." Was Cisco's first message and the rest sounded just as urgent and just as vague.

"Which bank, Cisco?" Barry almost barked into the phone when Cisco answered.

"Dude, aren't you on a date?"

"If you know that, then why are you calling me?" Barry said through his teeth.

"Captain Cold…"

"Bank. Now. Yes I got that. Which bank? And what do you want me to do about it? He has the cold gun, remember?"

"Right, I'm sorry. Um." There was a long pause. "Yeah, he's not at the bank anymore…" the phone line went dead.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You look like you're about to kill someone. Everything okay?" Allie asked as she turned back to the table.

"I might have to." Barry joked. He didn't understand why Cisco had just hung up like that. But he didn't want to ruin the date.

"Something urgent?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it." Barry looked at her pretty face and instantly relaxed. His worry only moved to the back of his mind.

"Go do whatever you need to do." She encouraged him. "It's okay. You're needed elsewhere." She looked as if she was trying to hide her sadness.

"No, It will be okay." He mumbled and then sighed. "I should at least take you home."

"You see that scary man over there?" she pointed to a heavy built man standing by a black car. "That's my babysitter; my bodyguard and driver. He'll take me home. Do you want him to drop you off somewhere?"

Barry stared at the bodyguard and then looked at Allie. He didn't want to leave. But he was worried about Cisco.

"Um." Barry bit his lip. "No thanks, my thing is nearby, I'll just run." He said, thinking that he'd run faster than that car could take him.

"Okay then. Thank you for a nice night." She smiled vacantly.

"Good night." Barry kissed her quickly and started running.

Before Allie had walked halfway to the car, Barry was back in front of her.

"Did this night suck? Because I really like you and I would like to see you again. I mean. This sucks that I have to leave now and that wasn't even a half assed good night kiss. And now I'm running off into the darkness like some loser who can't close a deal. I mean…" He rambled.

"It didn't suck." She took his face in her hands and he stopped mumbling. "The kiss was half assed though. But we can always remedy that."

She pulled him closer and kissed him. She kissed him like a first kiss should be. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, he held onto her as if she was life itself. When she pulled away, they were both breathless.

"Now, go save the world." She said with a grin. "Or a crime scene, whatever."

Barry arrived at Star labs and the place was a mess but no one was there. He eventually found Cisco locked in a broom closet.

"Where's Caitlyn?" Barry asked.

"She wasn't here. It was just me. I've been working on some stuff."

"Who did this?" Barry was impatient.

"Captain Cold. I think he came to get the other gun." Cisco was traumatized.

"What other gun, Cisco?"

"No, there isn't another gun. Remember last time we saw him, we sent him away with a vacuum cleaner that looked like a gun? He must be running out of juice."

"That's a good thing, right? That means I can take him out."

"We don't know that. Maybe he just wanted a second gun."

"Did he get anything else?"

They searched the lab and found nothing missing. Cisco searched his own lab and found that his drawings for the cold gun were gone.

"Dr. Wells is going to kill me." Cisco threw his hands into his hair.

"He doesn't have to know. We'll get it back… somehow."

Barry stayed to help clean the place up and as freaked at Cisco was, he eventually asked about the date to take his mind off things.

"She's amazing." Barry said. "She's not rich in her head, you know. She's just… smart. She thinks like a genius, not like a billionaire. All she wants to do is be a doctor and save lives."

"She sounds like you." Cisco joked.

"You know it sometimes sounds like she knows I'm the Flash. But I never told her. And as the flash I've never met her. In all her brilliance, I don't think she could have guessed it."

"Do you talk about the Flash?"

"Mentioned it. Nothing big. I definitely didn't tell her that I am him."

"How did you get out of the date?"

"She told me to go."

"Oh man. Bad date then?" Cisco placed the last of the papers back into place.

"No not at all. Hey, I'm going to go see if I can catch her awake still. You Okay?" Barry pointed at the door.

"Yeah. I'll go home now too. It's late anyway."

Barry ran back to Allie's building and stopped outside. He ran into the corner store and bought a few things before returning to her doorman.

Inside the lobby, Barry noticed the desk clerk sleeping and the Bellhop sitting on his chair outside the elevator also sleeping. Barry got into the elevator undetected and pushed the button for the penthouse but the doors wouldn't close. He remembered the balcony outside her beautiful living room and took the elevator to the top floor before the penthouse. He walked down the hall towards the fire escape and got outside before the fire detector could even notice the door was opened. He climbed the fire escape to the roof, walked across to the other side and climbed down onto her balcony. That was where he got stuck. He didn't know how his gesture was going to get him inside the penthouse. He heard faint music from behind the glass and searched the open plan room for Allie or her Bodyguard.

And just as he was about to give up on his cute gesture, Allie danced out from behind the pantry. Barry smiled, not able to contain his glee. He watched, not knowing when a good time would be to scare the hell out of her by knocking on the glass. She danced back behind the pantry and Barry took his chance. He knocked and waited. He knocked again and finally she poked her head around the pantry and looked in his direction. Relief flooded her face as she sighed and tiptoed around the corner to the balcony door.

"Oh my god." She uttered when she opened the door. She playfully slapped him with the back of her hand but eagerly fell into his open arms.

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"How did you get up here?" she asked as they walked into the living room.

"Your doorman, Desk clerk and Bellhop are all sleeping."

"I'll have to file a complaint about that." She said. They walked towards the kitchen and Barry saw shards of glass and water all over the floor.

"What happened?" Barry asked. He stared at her bare feet and wondered how she'd gotten out of that mess without getting cut.

"A strange man knocked on my balcony door at midnight on the highest floor of the tallest building in the city." She smiled and pointed at the glass shards "You're cleaning that up."

Barry smiled and nodded. "I will. Later." Barry scooped her into his arms and carried her across the kitchen to the island where he seated her.

He opened his bag of supplies and placed them on the island next to her.

"We did not have dessert, so I thought I'd bring it over."

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "With your emergency?"

"Yeah. It's all fine now." Barry pulled out a tub of ice cream. "I bet you have a lot to say about ice cream?"

"Lots. Yes. Don't even get me started."

"Do you eat anything?" Barry asked.

"I ate pizza with no scary health information." She acted offended. "And yes. I eat what I like."

He gave her a skeptical look. She sighed. "I like ice cream. Even though it gives me a cold."

"What?" Barry started searching for bowels and spoons. She pointed at the correct drawers and he started scooping ice cream.

"Dairy products have Casein. Casein causes a postnasal drip. Which in my case usually gives me a cold. Used to anyway. Besides, human beings are not supposed to consume the mother milk of another mammal."

Barry dropped a spoon and picked it up, startled by her last statement.

"I like ice cream." She added with a grin.

"You made that up?" Barry asked as he handed her a bowl.

"Sure." She faked sincerity and smiled.

"And what about this?" Barry pulled a bottle of chocolate syrup. "I bet you don't like chocolate. All that sugar. And artificial sweeteners… I'll keep this for myself." He poured himself some syrup and held the bottle high in the air. Allie reached out for the syrup and he pulled away with the idea of kissing her when she got close enough.

She reached further and suddenly slipped off the counter to the shards of glass.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Barry watch as she slipped down the island in slow motion. He could not risk using super speed to save her. So instead, he quickly kicked the immediate threats out of the way and she landed safely on a clean floor. He caught a kiss as she crashed into him. She smiled as if she didn't know about the potential disaster.

She pulled him closer and kissed him again. As he wrapped his arms around her, she grabbed the chocolate sauce and slipped out of his grip, running away playfully.

They sat in the living room eating their ice cream and talking. He told her all about his forensic work and she told him about her job at the clinic. She was a fully qualified Neurologist.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Barry asked, trying to guess her age and trying not to insult her.

"Yes I am." She smiled faintly and convinced herself to continue. "I graduated high school when I was twelve."

"What?" Barry was shocked.

"I'm not bragging. It's just how it is. I'm kind of smart." She thought for a second. "I was kind of smart. I really am smart now." She looked away as if the thought haunted her.

"So you went to college at thirteen?" Barry encouraged.

"I went to med school at thirteen. My dad was a Neurology researcher. He had tenure and high esteem at the top medical schools. I grew up learning half the things I learned in my first year."

"What does a thirteen year old do in med school?" Barry was shocked. "You didn't have a normal childhood?"

"Oh, my mother tried. But the rich kind of normal childhood. High teas and cotillions, play dates with other rich kids."

"Did it suck?" Barry asked carefully.

"Yes. All of it. I was my dad's pride and joy. And my mom's prized doll. I'm surprised I didn't turn into a rebel."

"You didn't do anything bad when you were a kid? I find that hard to believe."

"There was no time to be a bad girl. I wanted to be a Neurologist. Figure out what's going on in people's heads."

"And now you work for free. I bet your parents love that."

Allie sighed. "Where you ever a bad boy?"

The next morning Barry checked in with Cisco. He was still nervous about the missing papers but he had devised a plan to fix the problem.

"I'm making a bigger one." Cisco announced to Barry alone.

"Cisco, no." Barry frowned.

"It will be able to reverse the effects of the other one as well as its original properties."

"Hey did you guys know that that diner we were at the other night was robbed a while after we left?" Caitlyn walked into the lab, nose in a newspaper.

"Lucky we left then, right?" Cisco smiled, pretending he hadn't been having an important conversation with Barry.

Weeks went by. Barry and Allie spent late nights together after he had played super hero. Cisco worked on the cold hot gun in secret but kept Barry up to date. Barry made plans to meet Iris, to congratulate her on the engagement and to introduce her to Allie.

"You have a girlfriend?" Iris asked in a high-pitched voice when he told her. They sat in the coffee shop, waiting for Allie to arrive.

"It's not official." Barry blushed. He looked at Iris's new ring and was surprised that he didn't feel morose.

"She must be something impressive, to make you smile like that." Iris grinned.

"She's amazing, Iris. She has this way that she looks at me that makes me feel like she knows everything about me, and still wants to know more. As if I'm… I don't know… special."

"You are special, Barry. I've been telling you for years."

It goes without saying that Iris loved Allie. She felt that they were a great match. Allie visited Barry at the station several times and usually just sat on his desk watching him work.

"You're distracting me." He stated several times.

"I'm not doing anything." She giggled.

"You're staring."

"I have a question." Barry stated one night when they set out to a restaurant. She wanted to treat him and after a long discussion and fight, he caved and allowed her to take him wherever she wanted to go.

"Ask away." She said, hoping that he won't pick up the fight again.

"Are you my girlfriend?"

"No. You're mine. I'm the one taking you out, remember?" she joked and his face fell. She sighed and threw her hands up, still smiling. "I'm sorry. That was a joke. Don't want to bring that up again."

"I guess, since I never officially asked you, I just want to know. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes." She kissed him. "As I recall, we've been doing a lot of kissing lately. That usually implies it."

"Yeah, but we haven't done a lot of other things." He hinted.

She quickly looked away.

"I know it's not the most sanitary of things…" Barry tried but she started laughing.

"It's not that." She said once she could breathe. "I'm not that much of a germaphobe. I just don't like touching other people. You, I'm fine with. I've touched you plenty of times."

"Then, why…?"

"I just…" she faltered, unable to put words into sentences.

Realization dawned on Barry. "Oh. You've never… Of course." He took a deep breath.

"Have you?" she asked carefully, not sure if she wanted to know.

"No." he admitted.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They arrived at their restaurant and were escorted to the bar as they waited for their table.

"I'll be right back." Allie disappeared off to the ladies room.

As Barry ordered their drinks and waited, Oliver Queen walked in with Felicity at his side. Barry waved to them and they walked over.

"Funny running into you here, Barry." Oliver said.

"It's my town." Barry joked.

"We have a business dinner." Felicity said. "We just got here. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on a date."

"Oh."

As if on cue, Allie walked back to the bar.

"Alice-Sarah?" Oliver greeted her as if he knew her.

"Guys this is my girlfriend, Allie." He stressed the word girlfriend. "Allie, this is Felicity and…"

"Oliver." She nodded.

"You know each other?" Barry was surprised.

"Rich people club." Felicity said as she held her hand out for a handshake.

"Oh right. She doesn't do handshakes." Barry informed her.

"Since when?" Oliver asked and pulled Allie in for a hug. "You're the most lovable person I know."

"Since about a year ago." Allie pulled away and politely declined Felicity's hand.

"What happened a year ago?" Felicity asked casually. Barry thought about what had happened to him a year ago. He became the fastest man alive.

"When that accident happened at Star labs, a lot of things changed on a molecular level. You wont believe the pathogens that sprang from that." She looked at their horrified faces. "It's nothing life threatening. I just prefer keeping my own molecular pathogens to myself." She added as a joke.

Barry and Allie had dinner at the restaurant while Oliver and Felicity had their business dinner with some big shots from Central City. They greeted Barry and Allie before they left.

Barry took Allie to her place.

They made out on the couch but Allie kept breaking their intimacy.

"Are you okay?" Barry became worried when she sat back with a look of pain on her face, struggling to catch her breath. She took his hand and held it to her heart. He felt her heartbeat was aggressively fast.

"Are you having a heart attack?" he sat up straight.

She shook her head. "No. I'm okay. I can keep up." She went in for another kiss.

"Do you have a medical condition I should know about? Something that makes this dangerous?" he asked.

"No. Healthiest person you'll ever meet." she breathed. "This is fun."

"I'm worried about you." Barry held her face in his hands. They stared at each other for a long time.

"I love you, Barry." She whispered. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed.

"I love you." He whispered back.

Barry woke up with Allie in his arms. He watched her sleep and gently moved her hair out of her face. He placed his hand on her heart and felt the rapid pace of her heart beat. It did not seem normal, but she looked fine.

She opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow when she caught him staring.

"You're heartbeat is super irregular." Barry explained his frown.

"I know. But it's okay."

"How is it okay?"

"You're heartbeat is really fast too."

"I have a condition." He joked. "It's called alicesarah heart syndrome."

"Funny how that worked." She commented on his word play. "But it is the cheesiest thing you've said."

Barry's phone rang. Breaking their moment.

"Who calls at this hour?" Barry checked his phone. It was Cisco.

"Get it." She encouraged. He grabbed the phone, kissed her and walked away as he answered it.

"I got him." Was the first thing Cisco said when Barry answered.

"Got who?"

"Captain cold." Cisco said. "I blogged about how I'm working on the new gun, hoping it will call him back here."

"What? Are you insane?" Barry almost yelled.

"He's here, looking for it, but there is nothing for him to find. I'm going to trap him."

"Oh no. Cisco. Don't." Barry sighed. "I'm on my way. And if Captain Cold doesn't kill you, I definitely will."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Barry arrived at Star Labs, still really mad at Cisco.

"Well if it isn't the running boy." Captain Cold stated, with his cold gun aimed at the Flash.

"Found what you were looking for?" Barry asked.

"What's it to you?"

"I don't like cleaning the lab." Barry said.

"You're in no hurry to catch me?" Captain Cold smiled at his own joke. "I thought that was the whole idea. Lure me here with the promise of a new gun and then put me in prison?"

"Wasn't my idea." Barry wondered where Cisco was.

"Oh, the idiot hiding under the stairs, it was his idea?"

"Pretty much. I'm getting bored Leonard. Do something."

"We can't be on first name basis because I don't know your name. Besides, I thought you called me Captain Cold?"

"Run away, or shoot me. I have a better place to be at than here." Barry challenged him. He really just wanted to go back to Allie's.

"Is it past your bedtime?" Cold joked.

Barry jumped at him at super speed. Cold shot his gun and Barry missed its sting. Barry raced around him and threw him off guard. It turned into a dance fight, both getting blows in at times and both escaping brutal hits. Barry managed to get his hands on the gun and threw it as far as he could. Cold grabbed a hand pistol and shot it at Barry. It was a hand paintball pistol that shot nitrogen bullets. They crashed against Barry's skin and he yelled at the pain they caused.

"That's all I wanted." Cold said with a grin. "Thanks for the workout." He wiped the blood off his lip and limped away.

Barry struggled into Star labs and called Cisco. He grabbed heating packs and placed them on Barry's ice bullet wounds.

"He invented his own gun?" Cisco whined, worried.

"I think it's just liquid nitrogen in Paintball bullets. It's not enough to kill me. It just hurts like hell. He knew the new gun was a bluff."

"It wasn't really. The new gun is hidden. Where no one can find it. I'm sorry, though."

"We'll get him." Barry sighed.

Allie worked at a clinic in Central City. Her services were free to any and all who walked in without medical aid. She had a few regular patients but it was mostly a free clinic.

The next morning, Allie found one of her regular patients' files in the pile of mild emergencies.

"Good morning." She said as she entered the exam room. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing big, I just got a few cuts and bruises." The patient stated.

"You look like you picked a fight with a bear." Allie stated as she took in the sight of him. She grabbed a pair of gloves and her sanitary kit.

She examined his wounds and shook her head. "You're going to need stitches for some of these. What did you do?"

"I got in a fight with some guy in a suite." He said as Allie started cleaning his wounds.

"Did you win, Mr. Snart?" she asked with a sneaky smile.

"Leonard, please." He insisted. "I did win, yes. Sort of. I mean, in this case, getting away alive was winning."

"This guy sounds bad. You in trouble with the mafia or something?" she joked. She started stitching up his cuts and he tried not to flinch.

"Or something." He flashed her a million dollar smile.

"You should not be getting into fights, Leonard." She stressed his name. "You don't have enough blood cells to last for much longer, so don't waste it."

"You sound concerned."

"I'm your doctor. Of course I'm concerned. Fights are risky business _with_ the ability to create new blood cells, you don't have that ability, remember?"

"What's life without a little risk?" he asked as she finished up.

"Well, in your case, it's life." She made sure to look stern.

He smiled and stared at her.

"Isn't today your birthday?" he asked as she removed her gloves.

"Tomorrow."

"Happy birthday, Sarah*. For tomorrow." She paused and looked at him. He pulled an origami flower from his pocket and handed it to her.

"I can't believe you remembered."

"You don't forget a beautiful woman's birthday."

"Thank you, Leonard." She placed the paper flower on her desk and turned back to face him.

Leonard stepped closer, grabbed her face and kissed her. They were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. Allie stood frozen for a second, collecting herself.

"I have to go, Sarah. Again, happy birthday." Leonard grabbed his jacket and walked out.

Allie could not get herself to move. She was shocked. A nurse came in with a new patient, unaware of Allie's state.

"Oh no, Barry." she whispered.

*I made him call her Sarah for a reason. Can you tell why?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Barry sat with Caitlyn and Cisco, trying to devise a plan to catch Captain Cold.

"We could set up another blog." Cisco tried.

"He knew it was a bluff." Barry countered.

"We can't just wait around for Captain Cold to do something disastrous." Caitlyn wined.

"I know what his plan is." Allie said as she walked into the lab.

The three friends froze, not sure what to do.

"Allie. Hi." Barry walked closer but stopped in front of her, not sure how long she'd been listening or what she was talking about. She looked down, scared.

She took Barry's hand in her own and looked into his eyes. "I know you're the Flash."

Barry's heart stopped. Cisco and Caitlyn didn't know what to do or say. Allie held his hand as if it was a lifeline.

"How?" Barry asked eventually.

She closed her eyes. "I'm like you. Special. Meta human." She opened her eyes and watched his reaction. "My entire life was an experiment for my dad. He pumped me full of a synthetic brain drug since I was born. It made me smarter. I could read Hemmingway, Recite the fifty States in alphabetical order and speak three languages by the time I was four. That's not the point. When that accident happened here at the lab a few months ago, it was like the drug activated in me. Now I use close to 100% of my brain." Allie explained.

"Oh my god. What?" Caitlyn gasped

"It's hard to explain. The neurons in my body are better connected. I can hear everything, see everything, feel everything and smell everything. I can pick you out of a crowd by smell alone. Like everything else, it's unique to everyone. I can control everything that goes on in my body because I'm aware of everything as it happens. I can hear my body producing new blood cells. I can feel the oxygen absorb into my lungs." Allie watched Barry's face. "Since that day I could also sort of download information from other people when I touch them. The only way I can explain it is that if I shake someone's hand, I get a PDF version of his or her life story. The longer we touch, the more information I get. And it's been a few months since the accident. This ability has gotten stronger. That's why I don't shake hands. I don't want all that information. That's how I know you're the Flash." She sighed. "That night we met, you stopped me from bumping into a waiter but you touched my skin. The information I got from that quick touch was exactly that: you're the fastest man alive."

Barry pulled his hand away and it pained her. "What information are you _downloading_ from me now?"

"How you feel." She sounded desperate. "That's another thing I can do. Since feelings are very chemical, I can read your emotions by touch." She sighed again, trying to collect her thoughts.

"That's why you're with me?" Barry asked. "Because I'm the Flash? Because I'm Meta?"

"No. I'm with you because you're the first person I couldn't control."

"What?" Barry felt anger build.

"It's not a part that I can control. Yet. But since the accident, I could sense people's feelings and I could change them. In the beginning, whenever I shook someone's hand, they would start feeling what I feel. That night in the diner I just wanted you to leave me alone, so I made you feel as miserable as I felt, but you didn't. It didn't take. Your feelings didn't change. That's why I'm with you. You liked me, _not_ because I like you, but because _you_ wanted to."

Barry stepped away and threw his hands up. "I need time to think."

"I know." She said as Barry headed to the door. But she grabbed his arm and stopped him so fast that he got confused. "I need to tell you about Captain Cold."

"How do you know about him?" Barry asked.

"Leonard Snart has been one of my patients for over a year. I never knew who he was and I swear I never saw him in your mind." She paused for a second; distracted that she had let that info slip. "But today he touched me and I saw what happened last night in his mind, and as the touch went on longer, I saw everything that he has ever thought. Including his plan."

"You read minds?" Caitlyn asked curious. She had a notebook in her hand and she was scribbling notes.

Allie ignored her. "He's going to blow up the CCNB Building. He has assets there that he can't get out because he's a wanted man, and he's going to go after it today."

"When?" Barry asked the basics.

"After work."

"We inform the police. Evacuate the area." Barry looked at Cisco.

"He'll just pick another day if he sees the cops involved."

"Then what do you want me to do, Alice?" Barry asked, unable to contain his rage.

"You've never called me Alice before." She was taken aback.

"I know. I've never been mad at you before either." Barry ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to leave now. I need time to think. And then I'm going to stop Captain Cold."

Barry raced out before anyone could comment. Allie stared at the floor until her discomfort made look up and see Caitlyn still staring at her.

"Can I study you?" Caitlyn asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

For the rest of the day, Allie played lab rat for Caitlyn. She took MRI scans and basic tests as Caitlyn jotted down notes.

"Tell me everything." Caitlyn eventually asked.

Allie sighed. "Where do you want me to start?"

"From after the accident."

"I was at home that night. Reading. I heard the big boom and went outside onto my balcony to see what had happened. I felt this rush of hot air wash over me and I started getting sick. It felt as if I was in boiling hot water, cooking from the inside. I passed out before I could get inside the house and I woke up the next day with a massive headache. I could tell the temperature of the sun on my face. I heard the school bell ring from nine blocks away. I got up and sat in the shower as the 45.1 degrees of water ran over me. I became aware of everything about me. My resting heart rate, my core body temperature, the speed of my metabolism, the damage that one cigarette made to my lungs, the strain on my neck from reading all my life and the lack of strong muscle tissue." Allie spoke and Caitlyn took down notes.

"I could hear my hair growing." She added. "I managed to compartmentalize everything so that it wasn't so overwhelming, but it just pushed to the back of my mind and I'm constantly aware of everything but it's not crushing me. I can focus on a lot of things at the same time. I could suddenly make my metabolism faster or slower, I could flush any bad things I consumed, and I could control my insides like a computer game. I could do everything so much better. I was aware of the way my muscles stretch and contract when I moved."

"I was laying on my couch when my house keeper came in, she touched my forehead when she thought I was ill and all of her health information and thoughts spilled into my head as if I was watching a documentary. I could tell that she had arthritis just by that one touch. I knew that she was worried about her daughter paying for college. I could even see the memory of her falling in love with her late husband when she was eighteen years old."

"Wow."

"I shook someone's hand that day and when I saw their life story, I stopped touching people. There were times that I couldn't avoid it and when I did touch people, my emotions spilled over to them. I've never transferred any other information, because the emotions thing is involuntary. I avoid touch. If anyone comes close to me, I can feel his or her body heat from more than a foot away, that's how I avoid contact. "

"When Barry touched you at the fundraiser, what did you see?"

"It was so quick that I just saw the thought in that moment. I saw the movement as he saw it. Just that. I knew it was something that needed to be kept secret. I have my own secret to keep. I was miserable that night. Not making human contact has its negative effects and the lack of oxytocin was glaring. When I saw Barry at the diner I thought I wanted him to leave. I felt the urge to hug him actually, just to fill up on oxytocin and I actually thought that he was the nicest guy I've met in a few years. But I felt miserable and it was overpowering. When I shook his hand I just wanted him to leave. But my misery didn't cross over. I saw his whole life story in that touch and I felt the way he felt. He just wanted to make me smile."

"Barry is like that. So sweet." Caitlyn commented. "After the first touch, when you _download_ all the information, health 'file' and thoughts, is that it? You have everything?"

"No, the longer the touch, the more information I get and the deeper the thoughts go." She said and then looked towards the doorway. "Barry is in the building." She whispered. "I can smell him. And hear his heart rate."

"Explain the touch range." Caitlyn kept going.

"First touch is like a summary. For instance, like the back of a book cover. Longer touch is like reading the book. Longer than that is like reading the footnotes of the book. And longer than that is getting into the making of the book."

"Where are you with me?" Barry asked as he walked in. He had been standing outside the door listening for a while.

Allie wasn't surprised when he walked in. Caitlyn jotted down a note and scribbled some more.

"I'm in so deep I don't think I can get out." Allie said sadly. "I'm at the biography of the author, I guess." She took a deep breath. "I'm at the point where I can do what you do."

"What?"

"It's like a pre-programmed thing." Allie search for words. "It didn't wipe out my DNA or basic programming, it just added to it."

"That's why your heart raced." Barry said.

Allie smiled. "It wasn't the only reason."

"When were you going to tell me?" Barry asked Allie.

"When were you going to tell me?" she countered. Barry was at a loss. He never thought about telling her. And she probably knew that anyway.

"Tell me more about _Leonard Snart_." Barry said and sat down.

"He has myelodysplastic syndrome. It means his body isn't producing healthy blood cells."

"What did you see when you touched him?" Barry was a bit angry.

"He touched me." She said quickly. "He has three bombs in the basement of the building next to the Central City New Bank building. He's going to watch from the Cedar building two blocks away. When the bombs go off, he'll wait for the cops and emergency team to evacuate the nearby buildings at which time he will go into the bank and take what he wants."

"Which is?" Caitlyn asked.

"Passports, cash and a book that used to belong to his dad."

"I'll get the bombs out of the building first and then I'll get him."

"He won't be the only eyes on the building. He has allies. People he intend on killing after he gets what he wanted." Allie convulsed. "I never knew he was so heartless. He's always so sweet."

"What about the cold gun?" Cisco asked. "Is he running out of juice? Why is he making his own gun?"

"The gun he used last time is faulty. He researched similar techniques and made the nitrogen pistol."

"How long did you touch him?" Barry suddenly asked.

"He touched me." She snapped but then looked down in shame. "It was a while. Long enough to feel his pain. Long enough to calculate when he's going to die at the rate his health is declining."

"We should figure out what to do."

"You should do it fast since it's almost end of the day."

"We should talk to Joe." Barry added.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Joe got there quickly and spoke strategy with Barry and Cisco. Allie reluctantly told Joe that she too was Meta human and gave information as they talked.

"The biggest problem you'll face is that all three his accomplices will have two-way radio's with them. Their tactic is to communicate every ten minutes in case something happens. If one of them goes down, he goes down alone, but the others evacuate the plan and reschedule."

"Seriously, how long did you touch him? It sound's like the footnotes of the book." Barry complained.

"What?" Joe was confused since he wasn't caught up on all that Allie could do.

"He kissed me. If you must know." Allie finally said. "Apparently it was something he's been wanting to do for a while."

"You didn't tell him that you have a boyfriend?" Barry accused.

"He's my patient, I didn't think of him in any other way. I didn't think it was necessary to tell him that. It just happened."

"It doesn't sound like you stopped him."

"Contact freezes me for a few seconds. I can't…"

"What time?" Joe interrupted the lovers spat.

"Six."

"The building next to the bank is an apartment building." Joe commented. "Lots of people will get hurt."

After devising a plan and ironing out the details, Barry raced out in his Flash suit. Allie sat by as Cisco and Caitlyn communicated with Barry and Joe left to inform his helpers. Barry went to find Cold first, just to be sure where he would be standing and searched for the positions of the accomplices. He told Cisco where they were who in turn informed Joe. Then Barry raced to get the bombs out. There were three as Allie had said. He got them out and disassembled before the bombs could self-destruct.

Each bomb was designed differently. When Barry got to it, he described it to Cisco who instructed him on how to strip it.

When Barry was done with the bombs, he swept the building once through and went after Cold. Cisco informed Joe that the bombs were gone and Joe instructed his fellow officers to move in on Captain Cold's coconspirators.

They were all intercepted at the same time, preventing them from running away.

Barry ran to Captain Cold and shoved him off his feet. Cold recovered and shot towards Barry. A mist of icy cold air came out of the gun and it merely slowed him down to normal speed.

Listening in the lab, Allie grabbed Cisco's hand for support and let go quickly, apologizing.

Cold got a few hits in and managed to get Barry on the ground. He climbed on top of him and removed his mask.

"You are just a kid." Cold mused.

Barry's cells recovered and he jumped up, throwing Cold as far as he could.

He grabbed the cold gun and threw it off the side of the building.

"You're time is done." Barry said.

"Not yet." Cold shoved back and they started to fight.

Allie, Cisco and Caitlyn had to listen to the fight as blow after quick blow went out. Cold used his Nitrogen gun and slowed Barry down with its sting. Barry yelled out from the pain as he fell down. Cold got in a few more hits as Barry stayed on the ground.

"You're done, running boy." Cold stated as he grabbed a regular gun and shot it at Barry's heart. Allie screamed when she heard the shot ring out. Cisco and Caitlyn watched as Barry's vitals started plummeting.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

Allie was out of the lab before Cisco and Caitlyn could stop her. She flashed uncontrollably to the Cedar Building and to the top. She only stopped by crashing into Cold.

"What the hell?" he was confused, trying to figure out what had brought him down.

Allie sprang up and checked on Barry. He was in pain and could hardly run.

"What… how… no…" Barry tried but she hushed him.

"Sarah?" Cold saw her face.

"Can you get to the lab?" she asked Barry.

"I love you." Barry managed.

"Get to the lab." She insisted.

He stroked her face. "I lov…"

"I know. I know. I love you too. Barry please…" she cried. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

Allie wailed, crying. She jumped at Cold and threw him off his feet but he got up quickly and aimed the gun at her.

"I didn't know you were involved with someone." Cold said as he took a few steps back. "Does he know about us?"

"Yes." She stood up and faced him head on. "I didn't know you were a psychopath."

He laughed. "Yeah I hide that well. I also didn't know that the running kid has a sidekick."

"I'm not his sidekick."

"No of course not. You don't have a cheesy outfit. Or a mask."

"Leonard what are you doing? Why are you doing this? You're dying." She changed the topic.

"What's life without a little risk, hey?" he repeated.

Allie stepped closer and he quickly shot two bullets. She yelled as it crashed into her hip and torso.

"Oops." He said. She crumbled to her knees and groaned at the pain. Her brain was working in overdrive and she shut the pain receptors of her mind. It felt strange.

"Right, Big oops." She stated sarcastically.

Cold came closer and kneeled in front of her. "I'm going to miss you, Sarah. We had some great times, you and I, right? The Doctor Patient stuff, the chats outside the hospital. The flirting… The kiss…" He stroked her face as she stared at him. She saw what he was thinking as he touched her and wasn't surprised when he crashed his lips into hers.

Instead of pulling away, Allie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

He was surprised but delighted until he lost the ability to move. She let him slip to the ground and sat over him. She grabbed the cold gun and shot him in the shoulder. He screamed but couldn't move.

"How does that feel, you asshole?" she yelled as she threw his guns out of reach.

She climbed onto his lap and touched his face. He could not move, but he was aware of everything. He could feel her on top of him, the shot of ice burning into his shoulder and the cold ground underneath him but he could not make his body do anything.

"I just switched off your motor-functions." She whispered. "I didn't know I could do it until now."

She leaned in closer and watched his face. "You feel that?" she asked, as she sent messaged through to his brain. "That's your lungs stopping their highly necessary function."

She let go and he managed a deep desperate breath. She leaned in again and held his face; she smiled when pain washed over his face.

"What am I doing?" she said his question. "I'm turning the remainder of your blood cells into benign cancer cells. You're body will start to fight the cells like it's an alien invasion. Then your blood cells will be shredded and you'll be anemic. Oxygen won't get to your brain. Your muscles will die. Your lungs will no longer be able to move." She grinned. "And then your heart will stop."

She sat back and watched, as the pain got worse. She ripped open his shirt and placed her hand over his heart.

"This is how you made me feel." She said before squeezing her hand shut. He groaned and muttered as she instructed his heart to tighten.

He tried to move, he wanted to scream, and he was desperate for help. With a final moan, he breathed out his last breath. Allie felt his life slip away. His energy diminished. And suddenly guilt hit her like a sledgehammer as she came to her senses. She got off him and stumbled away, shocked and drained.

She grabbed every ounce of strength she had left, picked Barry up and struggled with him to the lab.

When she got there, she fell to the floor with Barry at her side. Caitlyn and Cisco carried Barry to a bed and Caitlyn tore open his suit as she started preparing to remove the bullet. The computers screeched as his heart stopped.

"We can't shock him, it will shut off the whole city's power." Caitlyn yelled.

"Get the bullet out." Allie yelled. "In any way possible."

Caitlyn shoved her hands into surgical gloves and threw on a surgical apron before quickly cutting into him. Cisco strolled between Caitlyn and Allie, not sure what to do or where to help. Allie sat up and tried to think but it felt like she was losing everything. As if her body had burnt through her abilities and they had become moot.

"Allie, how can I help you?" Cisco asked.

"I don't know." She mumbled, trying hard not to close her eyes. Cisco gave in and walked over to Allie to help her. The minute he touched her hand a shock went though both him and Allie and he passed out. Allie felt her body fill with Cisco's energy and she let go quickly. He was already in la-la land. She touched his face, checking his vitals but he was fine, just asleep.

Allie got up and raced over to Caitlyn and Barry. The bullet was out and Caitlyn went to work fixing the arteries. Allie checked Barry's vitals and her heart fell.

"He's going to die." Caitlyn said.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"No. He can't." Allie whined.

"He's not regenerating." Caitlyn noted.

"I'm going to force his heart to beat faster. If his heart beats at Flash's speed then his body will regenerate, right?" Allie thought.

"In theory, I guess." Caitlyn watched as Allie placed her hands on Barry's chest. It was quiet for a while before the computer beeped once. Caitlyn turned to watch the vitals monitor and felt the excitement grow as the heart beat started picking up pace.

After a while Caitlyn watched Barry, trying to see if he was healing.

"What are you doing?" she asked Allie as she saw the look of sheer concentration.

"I don't know." Allie whined.

"What are you _trying_ to do?"

"I'm trying to sort of reinstall his abilities." She held her breath.

"He lost it?"

"I think dying fairly reset him. Oh come on Barry, don't die." She sobbed.

"His vitals are back to normal. Barry normal, not human normal." Caitlyn stated. "I think you can stop now."

Allie held on to Barry. "What if he's only better because I'm holding on? If I let go, he'll die again."

"You want to hold on to him forever?"

"Yes." Allie cried. She was clearly worn out but she held on.

"Allie, you are going to pass out. Let go. He will be fine." Caitlyn was scare too but she knew that they would have to let go at some point. She tried to pull Allie away.

"Don't touch me!" Allie growled as Caitlyn reached for her.

"Allie, I know you're scared but you need to let go now. You can't hold on anymore."

Tears were streaming down Allie's face as she refused to move. She rested her head on Barry's chest as she tried to hold on. She climbed onto the bed and lay next to him with her arms wrapped around him and her hands still touching him. It did not take long for her to fall asleep like that.

Joe walked around the lab, unsure of what to do. They had caught Cold's accomplices and found him on the roof of the Cedar building, dead from a heart attack. Cisco had woken up with a massive headache but he was okay. Caitlyn placed health monitors on Allie too, just to check on her.

Barry and Allie remained unmoved for two days. Cold's accomplices were let go because there was nothing that could link them to a bombing that didn't happen. But Cold's death was linked to his medical condition. Joe and Iris spend hours by Barry and Allie's bed, hoping one of them would wake up.

Barry woke up first. He felt groggy and confused. But when he tried to move, he was trapped.

"Woah." Caitlyn ran closer and stopped him from getting up. Barry looked down at his constraints and saw that it was Allie.

"What's going on?" he croaked.

"She's been keeping you alive." Caitlyn whispered. "We're scared that if she lets go, you could die."

"I'm okay. I feel fine." Barry sat up and gently moved Allie into his lap. She remained limp like a ragdoll. He climbed off the bed and placed her back on the bed, holding on to her as long as he could. When he finally let go he held his breath, expecting the worst.

Caitlyn jumped up and down when she saw that he was perfectly fine. Barry sighed, also relieved.

"We're all so happy you're okay." Cisco threw his arms around Barry and gave him a tight hug.

"What happened to you?" Barry noted the bump on Cisco's forehead.

"I passed out."

"Saving you." Caitlyn added. "Indirectly. He touched Allie, she took his energy and then she saved you."

"It was the coolest thing ever." Cisco ranted.

The three friends walked to the front room to talk above whispers.

"You were passed out. You only know because I told you." Caitlyn said.

"What's wrong with Allie now?"

"I don't know. Her vitals are fine. Are _you_ okay?" Caitlyn checked him out. "Can you run?"

Barry flashed to the door and back. "Yeah. All good. Allie saved me?"

"You should have seen it, Barry." Caitlyn realized that it wasn't really something that she could see. "Allie was beside herself. She got you here at super speed and once she could get up, she literally told your body to fix it self. She made your heart beat. She was in a flat spin. She would not let you go."

"That's love." Cisco pondered. "Are you still mad at her?"

"No." Barry thought for a second. "I had the strangest dream. I understood what she felt like. In the dream I had that fear of touching someone. My head was full of information. Numbers, dates, scales. It felt like I was an Internet browser with too many tabs open."

"Maybe when you and Allie were linked, you shared a dream?" Caitlyn reached to her notes and scribbled again.

"Yeah. Probably." Barry walked back to the room where Allie was sleeping.

But she was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Barry knew where to go find Allie. He also knew it wouldn't be at her home. After being thoroughly checked out by Caitlyn, Barry set off.

The red tape had been cleared and life in Central City was going on as if nothing had happened. No one knew about the bombs and Barry thought it was better that way.

He found her on the top of the Cedar building. She was curled into a little ball, crying hysterically.

"Allie." He announced his presence. She gasped between tears and got up to walk away. She stopped at the end of the building and stared out at the city. Barry remained a few steps behind her.

"Allie, I know how you feel." He said. She laughed a bitter laugh.

"That's unlikely." She stated.

"I know what you think you did." He tried.

"I _know_ what I did!" She yelled.

"You didn't have a choice." He tried to soothe her.

"I had a choice. We always have a choice." She yelled over her shoulder.

"It wasn't something that you could control." He stepped closer and stood beside her. She stepped sideways to set a little distance between them.

"I was in control of everything." She uttered breathlessly as she closed her eyes.

"Think about it. If contact with me gave you my abilities and my happiness, then contact with him would give you his lack of emotion? It wasn't something you could control. Not yet, anyway."

"I killed someone, Barry." She cried.

"He was going to die anyway."

"So I'm an angel of Mercy? Or death?" she whimpered.

"No. No. That's not what I meant. Forget I said that. You didn't do anything. It was him the whole time. I know it feels bad now but…"

"You can't know how I feel!" she screamed.

"I can. I spent the last two days in your head." He yelled back.

She finally looked at him. "I took someone's life." She whispered.

Barry walked closer and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to touch her skin.

"I thought he'd killed you." Her tears started flowing again.

"It's okay. I'm okay." Be hushed her.

"What if I do it again?" she choked.

"You won't. We'll help you. You'll learn to control your abilities." He held her at arms length. "And most importantly, _I_ will be here for you."

She looked him in the eye, studied his features.

"You did - after all - say that you love me." He continued. She chuckled through her tears. "I'll be here for you. If you still want me."

"I picked you, remember?" she wiped her tears. "I do love you. So much it makes me crazy."

He grinned. "I don't need your mind reading abilities do know what's going to happen now."

"What's going to happen?" she asked.

"When?" he asked pulling her closer.

"Now."

She took a deep breath and they kissed. She laughed as she sensed his feelings wash over her.

She kissed him as if she was dying and he was life.


	13. Chapter 13 Epilogue

Epilogue

Barry and Allie spent the night at her place. The next day, she pitched up at Star Labs with the intention of learning and controlling her abilities.

She went through several more tests and even did the tests and practices that Barry went through.

And Barry volunteered to be a practice lab rat for her brain function tests.

"You can use me too." Cisco said. "Seeing as how you already know everything anyway."

"I only know the back cover of your book, Cisco. You're safe."

"But that night. You knocked me out cold."

"Yeah. I took energy from you. Nothing else."

"Cool." Cisco grinned. "Although I don't mind if you want to practice with me. I have nothing to hide."

"Thank you, Cisco." She blew him a kiss and he blushed.

Doctor Wells returned days later from a conference he had attended in Starling City. He had missed the whole Captain Cold story.

"What's going on?" he asked when Barry and Allie sat across from each other, palms held together, barely touching.

"Didn't you get my email?" Caitlyn asked.

"No. I've been really busy." Dr. Wells eyed the two at the table as Allie slowly touched one finger to Barry's palm. Nothing happened to the naked eye but Barry started smiling.

"Okay, the gist of it is that Allie is a Meta human. She can use one hundred present of her brain. When she touches someone, she kind of downloads his or her life information like reading a book. I mean, she reads minds." Caitlyn explained.

"Can be very useful on our side, don't you think Doc?" Cisco chimed.

Dr. Wells pursed his lips.

"Oh, by the way, I know that Oliver Queen is the Arrow." Allie suddenly said.

"How?" Cisco wondered.

"He hugged me." Allie stopped her practice with Barry. "We're old family friends. He squishes his cheek to yours if you know him well. Lots of skin contact, lots of info."

Dr. Wells took a long look at her. And she jumped from her seat.

"We're never had the chance to meet." Allie said to Dr. Wells. "I'm…"

"Dr. Hart." He finished her sentence. She held out her hand for him to shake but he only looked at it.

"Oh, we've been practicing all day." She kept her hand out. "I won't read you."

Dr. Wells smiled. "Not a risk I'm willing to take." He joked. "You might blow me up."

Everyone laughed. Allie crossed her arms.

"Well, she's taken Barry's abilities. And she brought him back to life." Caitlyn began to explain, but Dr. Wells started wheeling out of the room. "I'll show you my notes later." She finished quickly.

"I look forward to reading your report." Dr. Wells called as he exited the room.

Cisco jumped closer. "What do you see now?" he asked and quickly tapped Allie on her arm. She jerked and took a step back. "How about now?" he playfully tapped her again.

"What are you… Why would you do that?" she asked, trying to avoid his touch as if it was a game.

"No secrets, remember? I don't care." He said as he touched her again and ran away.

Allie quickly looked towards where Dr. Wells had exited, puzzled.

"How about now?" Cisco tapped her frown.

"Pizza for lunch. Yes. Sounds good." Allie mechanically told him what image he had delivered during his touch. She was not focusing on him anymore.

"What's wrong?" Barry saw the look on her face and stood closer.

Cisco and Caitlyn started arguing about which pizza to get and were completely out of earshot.

"There is only one reason why someone would avoid touching the clairvoyant…" she whispered anyway.

"You're calling yourself a psychic now?" Barry joked, trying to lighten her suddenly morbid mood.

"He has a secret." She was seriously concerned. Barry gave her the moment and then kissed her forehead, smoothing out her frown.

"Don't we all?" Barry said. "Don't we all?"

The end.


End file.
